BRITISH SPEEDWAY WEEKLY BULLETIN 2024/13
Feature photo by: TAZ McDOUGALL… GLASGOW completed a CAB Direct Championship weekend double over Berwick at Shielfield Park on Saturday. The Tigers notched their first away win in the league this season with a 47-43 victory, coming back from six points down to lead by four heading into Heat 15. This followed a 48-41 win against the Bandits the previous evening at Ashfield.
HERE’S our latest news and fixtures from around the tracks up and down the country.
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP…
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Leicester captain MAX FRICKE was sensational on his return to former club Belle Vue on Monday, scoring 16+1 from six rides and dropping his only point to Dan Bewley in a blanket finish in Heat 13. Meanwhile the ‘best guest’ performance goes to Rohan Tungate for his paid maximum standing in for King’s Lynn at Birmingham.
STEAD PRAISE FOR TIGERS FANS
SHEFFIELD manager Simon Stead offered a vote of thanks to the Tigers fans for a terrific turn-out last Thursday despite the counter attraction of Euro 2024.
And they were rewarded by seeing their side race to a convincing win over Roses rivals Belle Vue.
Stead said: “With England kicking off at tea-time and not finishing until 7pm, it would’ve been very easy for people to stay at home, watch the football and follow our updates online.
“But we should know better by now, we are so, so lucky to have such a dedicated and loyal fan base here at Sheffield and they turned out in great numbers as always.
“I think opening early to allow supporters to watch the game in the Panorama Room paid off as we had a pretty decent response to that and pushing the usual start time back 30 minutes proved to be the right decision as well as we had a late flurry of people coming through the turnstiles.
“All-in-all, we were backed in big numbers once again, the noise they generated was superb and even more-so with it being against Belle Vue and everything that comes with that, I was so glad we could send the Sheffield supporters home smiling at the end of the night.”
ACES BACK ON TRACK
BELLE Vue added to their Premiership total for the first time in a month by overcoming Leicester 48-42 at the National Speedway Stadium.
The Aces are still without injured captain Brady Kurtz but managed to cover satisfactorily for the Australian on their own track.
Stand-in skipper Dan Bewley said: “Leicester put up a tough fight and we knew we’d have to step things up to cover the rides at No.1, but I think that’s something we managed to do.
“The next challenge will be to get the aggregate point at Leicester. We’ve had some close meetings there before and it feels like we’re closing in on an away win, which is overdue at this point.“Hopefully at that point we will have Brady back with us. It’s tough having to cover No.1 with R/R and it’ll be nice to have our full team together again.”
STARS SHINE AT BRUM
KING’S Lynn raced to their first away win since August 2022 when they edged a close contest at Birmingham on Monday.
Stars boss Rob Lyon chose well with his guests, as Rohan Tungate (paid maximum) and Adam Ellis both scored double figures as they covered for Tobiasz Musielak and Nicolai Klindt.
Lyon said: “Rohan was good here for Oxford and we just felt he was the best option/ He’s a good trapper, he’s consistent and he’s going good everywhere.
“With Adam, averages come into play and when you’ve got riders that get injured on a Sunday afternoon and get hurt in Poland and you’re racing on a Monday it is difficult.
“But we thought Adam would be a good choice and he proved us right.”
FRUSTRATION FOR BRUMMIES
BIRMINGHAM CEO Nigel Tolley admitted he hadn’t contemplated defeat at home to King’s Lynn on Monday – but his side were beaten 43-47 leaving them with more thinking to do.
Tolley said: “I know what a lot of people are going to say, ‘oh dear, they can’t even beat King’s Lynn.’
“I was really hoping we could go away with the aggregate point, let alone the win. I was not expecting this result at all and I’m very frustrated.”
LIONS BETTER, BUT…
LEICESTER boss Stewart Dickson was still not satisfied after an improved showing at Belle Vue on Monday.
The Lions had been hammered 60-30 at Ipswich in their previous meeting but they put on a far more competitive showing in Manchester, going down 48-42 with Max Fricke outstanding on 16+1.
Dickson said: “It makes such a difference if you can just get another two or three points here or there, because it becomes a four or six-point swing, and that’s been the story of the season.
“It was certainly a better effort, a more spirited performance, and the aggregate point is up for grabs – but at the same time I’m still not overly pleased.”
WITCHES ENJOY HOME COMFORTS
IPSWICH manager Ritchie Hawkins is keen to sign off the current phase of the season with another Foxhall victory against Oxford on Thursday, with the Witches having been comfortable on home shale so far in 2024.
Hawkins said: “In the first half of the season our home form has been perfect. We’ve dealt with the changing conditions most meetings due to the weather very well. In the two dry meetings we’ve had we’ve shown a liking to the grippy surface.
“After this, we’ve got a run of four out of the next five meetings away from home so it’s important to keep up our terrific home form and put a couple of points on the board against Oxford.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
OXFORD retain fourth place in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership table with the season at the halfway point for the Spires and closest rivals Leicester… The Cowley club have a vital run of matches to come, starting with a trip to leaders Ipswich on Thursday followed by a home clash with Sheffield next Monday.
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP…
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
There were four maximum scorers in the Cab Direct Championship over the past week, so it’s a tough call between them – but we’ve gone for Oxford No.1 SAM MASTERS because his 14+1 score from five rides against Poole was followed up by a successful Super Heat performance alongside Scott Nicholls, meaning he was unbeaten from six overall and the home side took the win on the night.
BONUS VALUE AT SCUNTHORPE
SCUNTHORPE stage a double header on Friday with both Championship and NDL teams facing Edinburgh – and admission prices are raised by just £5.
Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We realise the need to keep prices competitive, and that’s why we’re raised admission prices by just a fiver, despite double the amount of racing.
“It’s a value-for-money night of racing. We have few hidden costs at the Eddie Wright Raceway. It’s free car parking and the programme only costs £1.
“The WSRA National League match is going to be very exciting to watch. We’ve got a lot of racing to get through and that’s why we will be starting at the earlier time of 7pm. It’s going to be an action-packed evening and one not to miss.”
TIGERS LOOK TO KICK ON
GLASGOW breathed life into their bid to retain the Cab Direct Championship title with maximum points from home and away matches against Berwick, in two hugely eventful encounters.
The Tigers came from behind in both meetings, including retrieving a six-point deficit to win at Shielfield Park.
Manager Cami Brown said: “Our season needs to kick start from this point on. Chris (Harris), Steve (Worrall) and Leon Flint were excellent. Jack Smith was once again the hero with another brilliant win in Heat 14.
“We still have to improve but that was our best performance of the season. Our top three were so solid and when they all perform like that, we can be a match for anyone.”
PIRATES TAKE POSTIVES
POOLE promoter Dan Ford was keen to stress the bigger picture after his side went close to an away win at Oxford, missing out in a Super Heat after a 45-45 draw which still gave them a league point.
Ford said: “I have already said before how strong they are, particularly at home, and I think come the end of the season they will certainly be up there in the play-off positions.
“Everyone in attendance was treated to a fantastic back and forth fixture which is always what we want as a sport, tough tight contests, and that is certainly what we got, and I think we have put ourselves in a decent position for the return fixture at Wimborne Road and the aggregate point.”
SOLID SHOWING FROM MONARCHS
EDINBURGH continue to improve on home shale with an impressive 56-34 win over Scunthorpe including two unbeaten displays.
Josh Pickering and Justin Sedgmen both scored paid maximums for the Monarchs, whilst manager Alex Harkess praised the all-round nature of the performance.
Harkess said: “It was a very, very good performance. Young Max (James) was understandably rusty on his return but the other six all did well.
“The only last place any of our top five got was when Paco (Castagna) suffered a broken frame in his second ride.”
SPIRITED CHEETAHS MAKE THEIR POINTS
OXFORD rounded off an eventful week with another 45-45 draw at Redcar – but this time, after being successful in a Super Heat against Poole 48 hours earlier, the Cheetahs lost out in the decider after Scott Nicholls was penalised at the start.
Even so, the Cowley club moved to the top of the table thanks to the point for the ‘draw’ and the aggregate point from their two matches against the Bears.
Manager Peter Schroeck said: “We showed a lot of spirit in coming back from eight points down tonight.
“Jordan (Jenkins) and Cam (Heeps) did a great job in backing up Sam (Masters) and Scott, while Luke (Killeen) was unlucky not to score more points. The track was a bit choppy and it caught him out in one race while he was leading.
“Jody (Scott) was on the pace and gave it a go. Adam (Roynon) hurt his shoulder quite badly, but still got a key point in Heat 14, and without that, we wouldn’t have got 45 points and we wouldn’t be top.”
STRONG RETURN FOR COMETS
WORKINGTON made an excellent return to home track action with a 51-39 win over Scunthorpe to maintain their place amongst the play-off challengers.
Manager James Denham said: “It was a fantastic result to beat Scunthorpe by 12, against a strong Scunthorpe side.
“Cookie (Craig Cook) and Batch (Troy Batchelor) led from the front all day, and Craig should’ve scored more points until his belt drive snapped while we were on a 5-1.
“They were backed up superbly by Tate (Zischke) and Antti (Vuolas) who were solid and provided us with some brilliant racing when they weren’t making the gate.”
BANDITS BADLY HIT
BERWICK director Jamie Courtney admits the club have been rocked by their current injury crisis which sees Rory Schlein and Bastian Borke on the long-term casualty list, whilst No.1 Lewis Kerr has also had time out this year.
Courtney said: “Injuries are part and parcel of what can be a quite brutal sport at times, but we have suffered more than most.
“Of course the string of defeats has hurt our goal of reaching the play-offs for the first time. It’s still there and we will do everything we can to make it happen.
“As management our job is to make sure that Stewart (Dickson) has the best tools available to work with, which at the moment is booking the best guests.”
BEARS LOOK TO THE FUTURE
REDCAR promoter Jamie Swales has hinted at a change of approach as the promotion look to bring success to the ECCO Arena, with a renewed emphasis on youth as the club now operates a team in the NDL.
Swales said: “It’s no secret that as a club we have constantly punched above our weight to attract riders. We have had some great riders through the years, but if we are honest, it hasn’t brought us great success.
We’ve definitely won a few things, but the league title still eludes us.
“I believe if we ever want to move forward we need to be developing riders within the club and make them want to win with us.
“Too often in the past we have had a youngster in the team who we help develop only for them to leave once they’ve found their feet and let another team reap the benefits.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
PLYMOUTH are back in action this Friday when they travel to Glasgow in the Cab Direct Championship… The Gladiators then return to the Coliseum next Tuesday for a home clash with Edinburgh.
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE…
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Oxford’s LUKE KILLEEN put on a near-perfect performance in the Chargers’ away match at Leicester last Sunday, scoring 14 points from five rides with his only defeat coming at the hands of opposing captain Joe Thompson.
LION CUBS STRETCH LEAD
LEICESTER defeated Oxford 47-41 in an eventful NDL encounter on Sunday to complete a 100 per cent home record this season.
The Lion Cubs were without Arran Butcher due to an FIME grasstrack re-arrangement, but they still made it six wins out six, with all four of their remaining matches to come away from home in August.
Captain Joe Thompson said: “It was a good result, and it’s nice to be winning meetings so I enjoy captaining this side.
“There’s a good team spirit in this side, they are all great people and they’re a pleasure to work with.
“This was a very important meeting for us to win, and we did it, so we have to be pleased with that.”
CHARGERS RETAIN THEIR SPARK
OXFORD boss Peter Schroeck was satisfied with his side’s display at Leicester on Sunday where they went down by just six points.
Connor Coles was a strong guest for Jason Garrad but the Chargers were hit by the withdrawal of both reserves – Senna Summers and Sam Woods – after crashes during the meeting.
Schroeck said: “When you consider everything that happened, we did so well to keep the gap to six points.
“It was a hot and difficult day, but overall we came drive away with our heads up high and we’ve definitely got a chance of the aggregate point when Leicester come back to our place in August.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
SCUNTHORPE take on Edinburgh in the NDL on Friday as the second part of a double header which follows on from the two clubs clashing in the Championship… POOLE stage the first meeting in the National League Riders’ Development Series at Wimborne Road on Wednesday… Each club has nominated two riders to take part, with four further competitors named, with current Pirates reserves Sam Hagon and Vinnie Foord representing Belle Vue and Leicester respectively, and former Poole reserve Max Perry (Edinburgh) is also included.
FIXTURE PICTURE…
WEDNESDAY JUNE 26:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Oxford (44) v Workington (46) 7.30
NATIONA LEAGUE RIDERS’ DEVELOPMENT SERIES: Poole 7.30
THURSDAY JUNE 27:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Ipswich v Oxford 7.30
PREMIERSHIP KO CUP S/F 2nd leg: Sheffield (40) v King’s Lynn (50) 7.30
FRIDAY JUNE 28:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Glasgow v Plymouth 7.30, Scunthorpe (34) v Edinburgh (56) 7pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Scunthorpe v Edinburgh (follows previous fixture)
MONDAY JULY 1:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R1: King’s Lynn (42) v Leicester (47) 7.30
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Belle Vue v Ipswich 7.30, Oxford v Sheffield 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 2:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Plymouth (48) v Edinburgh (42) 7pm
WEDNESDAY JULY 3:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Poole v Edinburgh 7.30
THURSDAY JULY 4:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: King’s Lynn v Birmingham 7.30, Leicester v Sheffield 7.30, Oxford v Ipswich 7.30
FRIDAY JULY 5:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Edinburgh (41) v Redcar (49) 7.30, Scunthorpe v Glasgow 7.30
SATURDAY JULY 6:
CAB DIRECT CHAMPIONSHIP: Workington (47) v Plymouth (43) 3pm
WSRA NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE: Middlesbrough (42) v Scunthorpe/Sheffield (48) 3pm
MONDAY JULY 8:
ROWE MOTOR OIL PREMIERSHIP R2: Birmingham v Oxford 7.30
TUESDAY JULY 9:
FIM SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS SEMI-FINAL 1: Belle Vue 7.30
ENDS
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